


Power Hour

by pocketmouse



Category: Leverage
Genre: Multi, cuddling for warmth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-09-18 03:14:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9365570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pocketmouse/pseuds/pocketmouse
Summary: There's a bright side to power outages.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [james](https://archiveofourown.org/users/james/gifts).



"Dammit, Hardison!"

Alec immediately started scrabbling through the sudden darkness. "Hey, this is not me, okay? The storm must have knocked the power out!"

Eliot set something down in the kitchen with a resounding clang. "Don't tell me you don't have a generator or something, though, man." The soft sound of a body shifting in the doorway and the increasing volume of Eliot's voice told Alec the other man was now in the doorway — and wanted Hardison to know. He could probably see Alec just fine, dammit.

"I got UPSs on all the Leverage computers, but I haven't exactly spliced into the mains —"

"Oh, hey, it's dark out here too!"

Alec looked up, even though he wouldn't be able to see anything. "Were you showering with the lights out again, Parker?"

Parker either didn't reply verbally or just ignored the question. "Streetlights are out — I can't see any lights, actually."

"Probably a transformer blew, or a substation —" Alec started.

"This would be a great time to steal something!" Parker said enthusiastically.

"We just did steal something!" Eliot yelled. "A whole lot of electronic somethings, I am _not_ going out in that mess again; at least you got a chance to shower before the water heater kicked it." There was the slap of an open fist against a wall, and Eliot stalked off, presumably to growl to himself under whatever water remained in the hot water tank.

"How big is the power outage?" Parker asked. "Is it going to throw off the plan?"

Alec was already on his phone, checking. "Looks like at least a third of the city's reporting issues, no word on how long until things get fixed." He started searching social media, filtering to posts originating near Tekstok. "Looks like Tekstok's still got power, so we should still be good to go, but there's no way to tell for sure until tomorrow."

Parker stalked closer, her features looking paler in the blue light of his cell. "Comms?"

"Transmitter runs off Lucille's battery," he said. He set the phone down, flashlight mode providing as much illumination as it could manage, and played with the edge of Parker's sleeve, inviting her to hold his hand if she wanted to. "I could run this entire con off a iPhone 3 and an Arduino, Mama. You got nothing to worry about."

She patted his hand. "I know." The patting was just an absent rhythm now. "I just don't like having nothing to do but wait."

Alec nodded. "You're not the only one." Probably part of what had Eliot so growly as well.

And speaking of —

Eliot stalked in, holding a battery operated lantern. His hair was damp, but looked combed through, instead of that kinked look it had when he just wrung it out and tried to ignore it. He had long pants and a henley on, with a blanket draped over his shoulders as well — so much for the hot water, then.

"I'll see if I can't make us something to eat without opening the refrigerator. At least we've got a gas stove."

"See? I listen!" Alec said. Eliot grunted in reply. Their shoulders brushed as Eliot moved past him and Parker to get to the kitchen. "You warm enough there?" That only earned him another grunt, which probably meant 'no.'

There wasn't much to do with no power, though. Alec had already made sure anything connected to a UPS had shut down safely, and he didn't want to waste his phone's battery until he knew when they might get power back — he only had three backup batteries, and he was, frankly, just as twitchy as Parker about making sure they'd have everything under control if Tekstok called and reported the break-in as planned.

Parker had pulled out some more lanterns and distributed them around the loft, doing a decent job of illuminating most of the space, defining corners and obstacles without making the rest of it claustrophobic. He thought about offering to help, but she'd started with the ground-level ones and now was working overhead to place the rest, and Alec was more than fine with leaving that job all to Parker. Instead he wandered to the kitchen to bother Eliot — that was a danger he was much more enthusiastic about.

Eliot was leaning against the counter, blanket still wrapped around his shoulders, wrapped so his crossed arms were barely visible. "Soup's gotta simmer," he said.

"Mm, good choice," Alec said. The oven was on too, the door cracked open a couple inches, but the room didn't feel any warmer for it. He snuck a hand under Eliot's blanket, aiming for his hips.

"Watch it, Hardison," Eliot slapped his hand halfheartedly.

"Jesus, your hands are like icicles —" Alec turned his full attention to Eliot now, grabbing at him again.

"Hardison —"

Eliot wasn't cool to the touch or anything that would have had Alec trying to remember the symptoms of hypothermia, but his skin wasn't the kind of warm it should have been with warm layers and a blanket, the warmth of working up a sweat. "What the hell, man, you've been hanging out in the room with the fire and boiling things —"

"Small, very directed flames. And even the oven can't warm up the whole place that fast."

"— then what the hell are you doing chilling — almost literally — across the room from it, then?" Alec yanked at the blanket until he Eliot gave up a corner, intent on getting it around both of them. "Parker, help!"

Parker appeared in the doorway just as Alec gave the blanket a final yank and Eliot gave in with a sigh, dropping his head to Alec's shoulder. "Ah! Cold nose!" he yelped.

"Is Eliot sick?"

"That's dogs, Parker," Eliot growled, not moving his head. "And wet noses."

"Eliot's nose is not wet, thank god," Alec added. "But he's gonna get sick if he doesn't warm up proper — and stop being an idiot," he added as Eliot tried to add another denial.

Parker nodded sharply. "Right, bedtime."

Eliot looked up sharply, a scowl on his face. "I ain't going to bed at eight o'clock!"

Parker tilted her head, considering. "Couchtime?" She looked at Alec. "Is that a thing?"

Alec grinned. "Sure is, Mama." He pushed Eliot over to Parker, wrapping the blanket around both of them. "Tea or hot cocoa?" he asked. Unsurprisingly Eliot voted for tea, his opinion on Swiss Miss well (and loudly) known. At least he trusted Alec to boil water — unlike Parker. "You want your weird yellow tea, or your weird green tea, or —"

"Just black tea," Eliot said.

Alec looked at the canisters. Black. Right.

"The one Sophie liked." OK, that actually helped. In a few minutes he was back in the living room with one tea, one hot chocolate, and one mug equal parts mini marshmallows and hot chocolate. He distributed them carefully as Parker rearranged the blanket and pillow fort she seemed to have constructed to accommodate all three of them. Eliot seemed to have resigned himself to his fate as he was pushed up against Alec's side, already warmer than he had been earlier. Alec carefully worked one arm behind him and Parker stretched her legs over both of theirs, firmly planting Eliot in place.

"What do we do if the power doesn't come back?" Parker asked.

"Don't borrow trouble, Parker," Eliot sighed.

"I guess I'd probably go with a modified form of Zombie Apocalypse plan 3," Alec said, enjoying the huff of annoyance Eliot let out. "Less to delay us getting out of town, and we'd still have to maintain cover, but airports would be an option once we got to civilization, no contamination to worry about..."

"Eliot won't have to blast anyone with a shotgun," Parker added.

"I'm not blasting anyone with a shotgun in any damn plan, even goddamn zombies," Eliot interjected.

"And I told you, I don't want you becoming zombie food, it's game over if that happens," Alec retorted, almost automatic. Eliot's skin was warm now where his shirt rucked up, stomach exposed to Alec's hand.

"Ain't happening," Eliot said assuredly. One of his hands covered Alec's and he looked down in surprise. Eliot was grinning self-assuredly at Parker, who was beaming back at him.

"It'd be no fun conning zombies anyway," Parker said. "They just wouldn't be any match for us."

Alec laughed. "You got that right." He tucked a stray hair behind Parker's ear and hoped the power would stay out for at least a couple more hours.


End file.
